Why Mini Cocktails Are Taking Over London (And Where To Get Them)
Like marathon training, 30-degree heat, and Coen Brothers films, I prefer the idea of a martini to the reality. I can performatively stomach about half of what amounts to barely filtered straight liquor with the run off juice of an olive for a few sips, but by the end of the glass, my taste buds are at all out war with a vague sensibility that continuing to sip makes me look chic and mysterious.
Which is why, while dining at Nina recently, I was particularly taken by their ‘tini’ cocktail menu, offering miniature martinis at a cut price. I imagine it was similar to the public’s reaction when the baker first decided to pre-slice their bread. I ordered the sterling martini at £7, and made it all the way to the end quite harmoniously.
I’m far from alone in this experience, and there’s a reason for it: When you’re drinking a cocktail, sips are not all created equally. Sam Bovey from Fitzrovia bar, Royal Cocktail Exchange, says, “The best sip is usually the first or second, as they’re the coldest, so having that be a larger proportion of the drink for a reduced cost just makes sense”. Nina is also not alone. Mini cocktails are popping up all over London at the moment – something we predicted at the start of this year – and it might just be the first trend that is mutually beneficial for both customers and venues alike.
Why is it favourable for both? Well, heavy boozing is not really in fashion at the moment. Millennials, and to an even greater extent, Gen-Z, have concluded that unchecked alcohol consumption might not be the best thing in the world. They’ve got 6am run clubs to get to and morning routine TikTok reels to film. But lots of us still really love alcohol, and so getting all the flavour and experience without the overindulgence is the best of both worlds.
When you’re drinking a cocktail, sips are not all created equally
Another reason is cost. The most famous martini in the city is the eponymous number at the Connaught Hotel. At £26, it’s not realistic other than as an extravagant treat for the vast majority of working adults in London.
So, are restaurants doing this out of the goodness of their own heart? Not exactly. Abstemious diners are not good news for a business that has counted on booze for a long time as an excellent source of profit margin. Restaurants are having a tough enough time as it is – everyone suddenly ordering tap water instead of margaritas might send the industry into a fatal spiral.
Step forward, the mini-cocktail. Lots of them have different branding – Tayēr + Elementary call their’s a ‘one sip martini’, which sounds much more appealing than starting off your meal by necking a shot of gin. Little Mercies has a rotating special mini option called the ‘what to drink while you think about drinking’.
While it’s a nice perk, abstention isn’t really the main objective. It’s better to sell 100 mini martinis a day at £4 a pop than 20 at £15. Plus, martinis, even micro-versions, are an ideal gateway to a night of hedonism and boozing. Get customers going with mini and, before you know it, rounds of Negronis are being ordered to the table. It also solves the inherent problem that martinis share with Gregg’s sausage rolls: one is not enough, two is too many.
London’s best mini-cocktails
Nina
Cost: £7
There are three options in the “Tini’ cocktails section at Nina, all variations of martinis. Try the vogue, with almond, hazelnut and citrus, the sterling, a more classic version with olive and vermouth, or the lucky strike, with peach prosecco and lavender.
Where: 18 Thayer St, London W1U 3JY
Website: www.nina.london.com
Tayēr & Elementary
Cost: £4
Famously walk-in only, Tayēr + Elementary has two bars with different concepts – there’s Elementary at the front, which serves simple, punchy cocktails and drinks, and the more technical, rather sciency Tayēr is in the back.
You’ll find the famous ‘one sip martini’ at Elementary, which is made from vodka, Martini Ambrato, Una Palma Fino sherry and blue cheese olive. It’s also the original – many, including Rita’s, took inspiration for their own mini creations.
where: 152 Old Street, London, EC1V 9BW
Website: www.tayer-elementary.com
Rita’s
Cost: £4.25
Rita’s has the cheapest martini in central London, bar none. It’s jalapeño popper gilda comes with a blue cheese stuffed olive, a Cantabrian anchovy and jalapeño. It’s a whole lot of flavour in a small drink.
where: 49 Lexington St, Carnaby, London W1F 9AP
Website: ritasdining.com
Little Mercies
Cost: £6
This award-winning bar on Broadway Parade is full of interesting drinks, none more so than its regularly changing mini drinks. Right now, you can order a lychee martini, made from lychee vermouth, lychee vodka, guava and magnolia leaf.
where: 20 Broadway Parade, London N8 9DE
Website: www.littlemercies.co.uk
Kolae
Cost: £5
Kolae is one of London’s best Thai restaurants and was recently named the 34th best restaurant in London. Its mini option has a typically Thai twist – a pickled mango dirty martini, made from gin, dry vermouth and pickled green mango brine.
WHERE: 6 PARK ST, LONDON SE1 9AB
WEBSITE: www.kOLAE.COM
